Heart of a Hero
by EvilFuzzy9
Summary: Shinso has finally gotten his chance to become a hero. [oneshot]


Outwardly, Shinso Hitoshi's face was impassive. He showed no sign of nervousness or excitement. His hair was messy, a bedraggled purple mop, and his eyes were shadowed. Lean and pale, he slouched his way along into the looming building, passing in through the front doors. He followed the pro hero in front of him. They stepped into an elevator.

"Congratulations on being accepted into our hero agency, Shinso," said Captain Silicon, de facto leader of Mind Over No Matter. He waved a hand encased in a dark, skintight glove enmeshed with shining circuitry. His eyes were concealed behind the domed, opaque helmet that covered his head, faceted with lights that flashed on and off in a seemingly random sequence. "We are one of the most decorated agencies in America, home to several heroes of international renown. Hopefully, you will fit right in among our ranks."

"Thank you for accepting me," Shinso drawled. He sounded relaxed and slightly lethargic, as he usually did, but there was also a hint of genuine gratitude underlying his words. It wasn't easy for him to honestly express the emotions he was feeling as the elevator hummed around them, rising and rising. This situation still felt a little unreal, somehow. "It's an honor to join you, sir."

"Don't mention it. Really, don't. Pleasantries are a waste of time."

"Oh? But what you were just saying sounded a lot like pleasantries to me."

Shinso said this with an air of dry humor, an attempt at a joke.

Captain Silicon didn't laugh, but his mouth did quirk upward.

"Talking is a waste of time, generally. It's slow. Inefficient. I much prefer direct interface."

Shinso hesitated now. He looked uncertainly at Captain Silicon, and he hesitantly opened his mouth to ask the question that was on his mind.

But then he closed it, uncertain if he would get an answer.

He'd told Mind Over No Matter about his quirk, as part of the application process. It wouldn't be unreasonable for them to take caution with him until he had proven himself to be trustworthy.

Captain Silicon apparently guessed what he was thinking.

"It has nothing to do with being wary of your powers. If that was the case, I would have brought Mind Maiden with me to meet you. Of course, I've considered the possibility that you might try to use your powers against us, but after analyzing your quirk more closely, I came to the conclusion that it would not be able to affect me. Thanks to my own quirk, Processor, my 'brain' disperses itself through computer systems. You can affect organic minds, but your quirk has no power over the digital, does it? More importantly," he added in a lighter tone of voice, "I carefully scoured the character evaluations done by your teachers and concluded that you weren't a serious risk. UA has faced some criticism recently, but the staff are still very fine heroes. I trust their judgement."

Shinso hummed.

"I guess that's one of the top 'Strategic Heroes' for you… You'd already considered all of that?"

"I've calculated all the possibilities ahead of time. I might not have the late Nighteye's reputation, but I do take pride in my ability to evaluate information. The only limit to my ability is the amount of 'data' that I have to work with… naturally."

He flicked a finger in the air, and Shinso noticed the flickering of incredibly small pinpoints of light. These were high tech sensor arrays: the man's suit was fitted out with an almost uncountable number of devices with the sole purpose of gathering raw data to supplement his quirk. That was the kind of thinking a pro hero put into their gear, wasn't it? In comparison to this, Shinso's own choice of equipment seemed a little…

He dropped a hand to the pellet gun at his hip.

Well, he could refine his suit's design with time, couldn't he?

Still, it made him aware of how far he had to go before he was at the level of a pro. Although he had his hero license, he still couldn't compare to someone who had been in the field for ten or twenty years. There was a lot he could learn from an expert like this.

That was part of why he had decided to come to America to join up with one of the hero agencies. This country was considered the 'birthplace of heroes', and it was home to some of the best in the world. It was also a much larger stage with far more room to grow. Japan was small, and there were relatively few opportunities for heroes to prove themselves. The competition there was incredibly fierce, in a different kind of way. There was much more conflict between hero agencies, who competed for a limited pool of accomplishments. And the crime rate in Japan, even though it had risen lately, was much lower than in America—at least in the most dangerous _parts_ of America.

Anyway, this country was where a hero went to prove themselves as world class. It had a very different atmosphere than Japan, both legally and culturally. There was much less red tape, and a much more laissez-faire attitude toward the use of quirks. Depending on where a hero chose to base themselves, they could have a pretty easy time while exploring their abilities, or they could fling themselves into the breach and forge their strength in fire. There was plenty of room in the middle of the country for heroes who wanted an easy time, a slow pace and a friendly atmosphere. But there were also enough villains and competition in the big cities to push a hero to their limits. There were a few neighborhoods infamous as hero graveyards engulfed in never-ending violence, chewing up all but the very best like grist in a mill—nothing like you would find in Japan.

It was by honing his skills in this country and defeating its worst villains that All Might had come to be recognized as the World's Strongest Hero. And while Shinso didn't have nearly that level of ambition, he did think there was something romantic, something _appealing_ about coming here to become a professional hero, even apart from the other benefits.

But the main reason he'd chosen to come to this country was to join this specific agency.

Mind Over No Matter was one of the country's premier hero agencies. Most importantly, it was one of the only agencies in the world that specialized in quirks like his. Some of the strongest psychic-and-psychological-type heroes in the world had associations with Mind Over No Matter, and if he started out here, it would be much easier to get himself accepted as a hero in spite of his quirk. In the context of the other heroes in this organization, his power would seem much less strange and menacing, and so he would hopefully be able to develop an appropriately heroic reputation.

Still, he was anxious. The hero license didn't seem real, somehow. He still hadn't completely registered that he was recognized as a fully qualified hero. Despite the internships he had done… despite the work he had done in the field… stepping away from UA, no longer under the constraints of a student but also no longer able to rely on the support of classmates or teachers… Well, even though UA had one of the most rigorous curriculums in the world, Shinso wasn't such a vain or vapid person that just being given his license would make him completely confident.

No, he had enough self-awareness to realize his limitations. He wasn't strong in any way. His quirk was very powerful, and there was really only one practical method to counter it, but Shinso knew his limitations. He wasn't cocky enough to think he had magically overcome his natural weaknesses simply by completing his hero course.

But was he _really_ being clear-headed and logical, or was this actually neurotic self-doubt? Maybe he was just second-guessing his potential success because he was irrationally afraid. He still had something of a complex about his quirk, and while he hoped that working with this agency could alleviate that, it wasn't as if all those years of alternating fear and teasing from classmates in middle school had ceased to have any weight in memory.

Shinso shook his head as they emerged into the main office. He was overthinking things. He was going to give himself an anxiety attack at this rate.

Geez… wasn't he supposed to be a laid-back kind of guy who could win effortlessly?

But he knew himself too well to buy into that for an instant.

Shinso looked around the office. It was a large area, and there were cubicle dividing walls raised up to divide it up into smaller sections. He identified three main areas, individual offices for each of the agencies main heroes, with smaller associated cubicles set up for interns and sidekicks.

He followed Captain Silicon further within. The man passed the smaller cubicles, and two of the larger partitions, leading Shinso to the back of the room. He entered through a small gap, leading the young man into the last partitioned section. This was Captain Silicon's office.

Shinso wasn't sure what his first impression of the room was. The walls were very white, and all the furniture and upholstery were very sterile and modular. It had the look of a too-modern space, suffocatingly blank and devoid of personality. Computer banks were set up along the wall, and ridges of steel tubing along the floor sheltered masses of cables that crisscrossed the area. An air conditioning unit was going at full blast, but Shinso barely felt a chill. The heat from the computers nearly canceled out the cooling effect of the air conditioning. Monitors were set up in a row on one desk, and a few hung here or there from the walls.

It was quite… technological. There were no plants or wood upholstery. There were no posters or photographs. The air was filled with the warm emanations of the computers, processors going at full speed. Occasionally he would hear one of the computers whirring very loudly. Other times, he would see one of the dark monitors flicker to life and flash a sequence of numbers, words, or pictures. Some showed continuous feeds from news or weather channels, while others displayed surveillance footage of the complex. He didn't know what the rest were for, and he didn't recognize the rest of what they showed.

Captain Silicon depressed a button that was camouflaged into the side of his helmet, and he stopped before an office chair. It was a simple one, the kind of thing you found in every place of business, with plain gray cushions and a black plastic skeleton. The pro hero sat himself down in the chair, and its wheels squeaked for just a second. Then the man turned in the chair to look at Shinso, who stood a tad awkwardly in place.

It was uncomfortable to be unable to see the hero's face. All he could see was Captain Silicon's nose and mouth. Otherwise, the man was opaque, sheathed in high tech materials. The design of his outfit was sleek, but it displayed very little of the human being underneath. He looked almost robotic. But Shinso knew he was really a human in a suit, just like any other hero.

Still, it was very hard to read the guy's face.

Captain Silicon spoke. It sounded like he was reading from a screen. Maybe he _was_.

"Family name: Hitoshi. Given name: Shinso." He tapped the button again. "U.A. High School graduate; formerly Class 1-C, General Department, but later transferred into the Hero Department. Certified with a Standard Hero License. Authorized to use quirk with discretion, per Japanese laws and regulations. Applied for a transfer to America half a year ago; achieved a passing score on the United States Hero License Examination, Modified, one month ago; transfer request authorized one week ago. In the country on a provisional hero visa, subject to bi-annual review. Quirk: Brainwashing. Hero Name—"

He paused.

"—interesting. There doesn't seem to be one on record for you."

"There must have been a mix-up," Shinso said.

"I'll have to see someone about having that corrected," Captain Silicon murmured. "What is your hero name, then?"

"Shinzo," said Shinso matter-of-factly. "It's a pun."

"You don't say." Captain Silicon nodded to himself. "Yes, I see it, now. They must have misspelled it."

"Well, now you know it for future reference," Shinso said. "Isn't that nice?"

Captain Silicon didn't respond. He opened a recessed, wafer-thin panel in his sleeve to quickly type something up on a keyboard.

Shinso waited for a moment. Still no answer.

Hm. Whatever the guy said, he wasn't _that_ trusting.

Shinso felt a twinge of disappointment.

 _Even here…_

"It is."

Captain Silicon's voice startled Shinso, and he blinked rapidly, stiffening.

"Huh? What?"

"It's nice that I now know your hero name."

Shinso cocked his head. He felt strangely relieved.

Captain Silicon smiled.

"I'm glad I could help," Shinso said. "But you can still just call me Shinso, if that's easier. There's hardly any difference."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Captain Silicon moved over to one of the computers. A USB cable extended from the underside of his sleeve, and he slipped it into the slot.

Shinso waited for instructions. He wasn't sure what he was expected to do, or where he should now go. He was a little nervous about making trouble or being an inconvenience to his host. At the same time, he didn't want to have to ask the question. But it was a couple minutes before Captain Silicon turned and said anything more to him.

"Oh, you're still here? You can go to your office. Or you can go ask Mind Maiden any questions you might have. She can tell you whatever you need to know, and she can do it much more efficiently than I can. If only I could install her quirk into my brain, alas… then I wouldn't have to deal with tedious conversations."

Shinso wondered if he should take that comment as rude. After a moment, though, he decided that it was probably just a peculiarity of the man's, and nothing personal.

He turned and left the office.

* * *

He looked around a little before he found his cubicle. His name was hung up next to its entrance on a small placard reading _Shinso Hitoshi_. He could tell that there was a blank space for his hero name.

Peering inside the cubicle, Shinso saw a small desk, an office chair, and an eggshell white work computer. There were no decorations. He supposed it was his prerogative to liven it up with personal effects, if he wanted to.

It was a little drab. Before his internships, he wouldn't have expected that a hero agency could have such a dull aesthetic, but now that he had grown up, some, he could understand why it would be set up like this. It was just more practical to set it up basically like a normal office space. This made things easier for everyone, even if it also made it feel a little boring.

Shinso's things were at his apartment. He had managed to find an available apartment a mere three blocks from the agency. It was a little on the expensive side, even if it wasn't anything special, but with careful budgeting he would be able make it work.

He didn't know if he would do much to decorate his cubicle. It might be nice to make it feel a little more personal. Maybe he would put his graduation photo on the desk. Maybe he would get a potted plant to make it feel more alive. Otherwise, he would probably leave it pretty much as he found it. He didn't want the fuss of too much mess, and he was sure that enough of a homely clutter would accumulate before long, anyway.

But he wondered what he should do. Captain Silicon hadn't given him any instructions, and it felt awkward to stand here staring at his desk and computer. The man _had_ suggested he check with one of the other people at the agency, if he wanted to know anything, though…

He stepped out of his cubicle and checked the one next to his. This one had a small, brown placard like the one on his own, bearing the name _Adam Jackson_. Beneath it was another, larger board bearing a more stylized font, with what could only be the man's hero name. _MINDVOLT._

Shinso knocked, wondering if anyone was in there.

"Yeah?"

A man stepped out from the open. He was black and lanky, but his leanness was partly obscured by the comparative bulk of his hero uniform, which jutted with pylons and electrical-looking protrusions. It had an armor-like look to it, and there was a large—what, battery pack?—attached to his back. The outfit was a mix of dark blue and gunmetal gray, and two sizable pylons rising from the man's shoulders formed a Jacob's ladder with his head between them. A large afro seemed to bristle with static.

"Yes, uh," said Shinso. His English was reasonably good—better than most of his classmates. Still, he had to speak a little slowly to manage his accent, and it took him a second longer to search for the words than it would have in another situation. "I want to know what I should be doing. I wasn't given clear instructions."

"Was it Cap who brought you in?" said Mindvolt. His voice wasn't deep, and he spoke with a slight accent. "Yeah, he gets ahead of himself sometimes. You're the new kid, then?"

A spark flashed between the shoulder pylons, leaping through Mindvolt's afro. The man paid this no heed, and it had no visible effect on his hair.

Still, it was slightly startling, if only for the suddenness.

"I am. You can call me Shinso."

"Neat name. Where ya from, Shinso?"

"Japan. UA High School."

Mindvolt whistled.

"No kiddin'? I've heard of them. They say that's one of the best hero schools out there. You were taught by All Might, then?"

Shinso shifted on his feet.

"We had classes under him," he said. "I didn't get any special lessons from him."

"Dang. That's a shame. A pity what happened to the guy, too… the old geezer was real pissed when he retired. You should've been here. Whew. I wouldn't wanna be the guy who got on old Silver's bad side. He's a scary son of a bitch when he gets angry."

By _Silver_ , Shinso guessed Mindvolt was referring to the senior hero, _Silver Spoon_. The guy was one of the oldest heroes in active service. He was also one of the strongest heroes, even in his advanced age. That was one advantage of telekinetic powers, wasn't it?

"It was a shame," Shinso said with shrug. "But it didn't affect me so much, personally."

"Yeah. I suppose not," Mindvolt drawled. He appeared to ponder this for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Well, you said you didn't get any directions on what to do? Cap leavin' the newbies to hang, as usual."

"You're one of his sidekicks?"

"Yeeaah. Our powers go pretty well together, don't they? My _Neuroconductor_ and his _Processor_. Been here a couple years, and it isn't bad. Still hope I can break out onto the scene and set myself up as a full pro hero, but everybody's gotta start somewhere, right?"

Shinso nodded in response to this. He considered asking more about Mindvolt's quirk, but he decided it would be best to stay on target.

"Sure. And on that subject, do you know what I should be doing, as his sidekick?"

"You check your cubicle?" asked Mindvolt. "Ought to be a police scanner to go with the computer. I don't know what Cap wants out of ya, but I'd suggest you keep an ear to the ground and listen out for any crime reports. If he wants you in the field, he'll have someone come to tell you."

"Okay," said Shinso. "Is there anything else I might want to know? I've interned in hero agencies before, but I only graduated this year."

"Sure, sure. I hear ya. Maybe you could go ask one of the other bigshots?" Mindvolt paused, reconsidering this. "Nah. Not Silver," he corrected. "Now's about his naptime. He'd twist you into a pretzel if you interrupted that. But Emmie—Mind Maiden—she's a nice girl. She'll give you any help you need. Just don't get too fresh, alright? She and Cap are basically an item. You wouldn't wanna piss him off on your first day here!"

He laughed and clapped Shinso on the shoulder.

"Right," said Shinso. "I'll… keep that in mind."

Mindvolt seemed to be a friendly, garrulous fellow. It was a little difficult to keep up with him. But it was also nice to encounter someone so trusting.

But, then, the guy probably didn't know what his quirk was.

Shinso shook this thought out of his head, and he turned, following Mindvolt's direction, to head to Mind Maiden's office.

It wasn't far to get there.

He approached the partition for Mind Maiden's office— _Emmie_ , as Mindvolt had called her—passing a few cubicles. He noted the hero names of a few sidekicks or junior heroes subordinate to her. _Brainwave_ , _Psygrip_ , and _Migrainette_ all stood out. It was pretty much the pattern he would have expected to see.

Finally, he came to the sliding door that closed off Mind Maiden's office. Only this was open. It was quiet.

He peered inside the door.

Mind Maiden was a woman in her late twenties. She was a blue-eyed blonde of the stereotypically American type, dressed in close fitting, sky blue spandex. Her uniform extended upward to cover her nose and mouth in a mask, and her hair fell free behind her. It was mid-length, straight and soft and glossy. She wore a dark blue hairband A triangular window of questionable utility was cut out of the front of her spandex, a wedge of open space that revealed a modest amount of her cleavage.

She was attractive, but she wasn't dressed too flashily for a heroine. She didn't have the air of someone who flaunted or fussed over their looks, even if she obviously took care of herself. She had a kind face, although it was hard to read her mouth, and her outfit was simple. It had very few fiddly additions or technical looking bits. He supposed that she didn't need anything like that to assist her quirk—if there was anything that _could_ assist her quirk.

He saw that Mind Maiden appeared to be absorbed in something.

He looked around her office. Mind Maiden was seated behind a small, simple computer desk. Its surface was made to look like old fashioned, polished wood, but beneath a few chips and scratches, he could see that it was mostly cheap particle board. There were a number of potted plants in her office, and the walls had a fair share of nature photos and motivational posters. On her desk he could see a few photographs.

Her office had a much homelier feel than Captain Silicon's. It was better lit and cheerier, a much more comfortable space. But here, too, he could still tell that it was a place of business, and he noted the woman focusing on a computer screen. The back of the monitor was facing him, so he didn't know what was on it. The blonde's expression was serious. At least, what he could see of it was.

"Hello?" said Shinso. "I was wondering—?"

Suddenly, he stopped speaking. A stream of thoughts went through his head. He experienced a carefully sequenced series of phrases and images, the sensations of thought that were so familiar and yet so difficult to describe. As much of it as was language, he could make immediate sense of it. The images and more obscure sensations took a few seconds longer for him to puzzle though.

But it was a very strange experience.

It was his first time communicating through telepathy.

 _Oh, I'm sorry,_ Mind Maiden thought at him. _I didn't notice you coming in. What do you want? Oh, what are you supposed to do? Well, the rules and basic duties can be found in a text document on your work computer. It should open when you start it up. But as for right now—_

The stream cut off for a moment, as if a switch was suddenly flipped. Mind Maiden tilted her head, as if she was craning to hear someone speaking to her from behind. Then her focus returned back to him.

— _sorry for the interruption. I'd bring you into the conversation, but Captain Silicon is very particular about that. You haven't been authorized to join in on the Mass Telepathy. Security concerns, I guess. He doesn't like letting new sidekicks in on the discussion._

Shinso blinked. These communiques were inserted very quickly into his mind. They were nearly instantaneous, although it took him a few seconds to process it.

"Oh, sure," he said. "I can find what I need on the work computer, then? Okay. I'll go check that."

He turned to leave. He was slightly dazed by the bursts of telepathic communication. It felt very strange to hear a voice in his head that wasn't his own, or to see such crisp mental images flashing before his mind's eye. It was uncomfortable to feel someone else's thoughts inside his own mind.

But he was arrested by a new burst of telepathy, before he could leave the office. Somehow, he immediately knew that these thoughts weren't coming from Mind Maiden, even if she was presumably the one relaying them.

 _Not so fast. You're a UA graduate? Hitoshi Shinso?_

These thoughts were in Japanese, and Shinso didn't have to mentally translate them

"Yes," he said aloud, without really thinking.

He could almost hear Mind Maiden's smile.

 _It sounds like Silver Spoon is interested._ She sent him this mental transmission. _I hope that turns out well for you._

Shinso wasn't sure he liked the tone of her thoughts.

"— _bring him in. If he got through UA, he's better vetted than any of our other recent hires."_

" _Absolutely not. That's bringing him in too close, too quickly. Even if I'm not concerned about him misusing his quirk, there is still protocol to consider!"_

Shinso blinked. He heard many voices streaming through his head. This was different than the other telepathic communications. This wasn't a message being sent to him, but him being given access to an open channel. It was like the difference between an instant message and a conference call.

He realized they were talking about him. If 'talking' was the right word to use. He… 'heard' Captain Silicon's 'voice', for lack of a better description. He immediately recognized those thoughts as belonging to the other mind, and he experienced it as an auditory sensation. It was as distinct from hearing as mental images were from things actually seen, yet, as with those, there was also an obvious and unmistakable resemblance. He immediately knew that this was Captain Silicon.

And the other person… that had to be Silver Spoon.

" _Um,"_ Shinso thought automatically.

He felt the surprise of both 'speakers'. He sensed a sheepishness from Mind Maiden.

" _He's already in."_

" _You got ahead of yourself,"_ Silver Spoon thought.

Captain Silicon cursed. Shinso 'heard' laughter from several other sources. He realized there were multiple people participating in this conversation.

" _Well, if the boy's here, we might as well let him know. It should be a good initiation for him. If he's UA… he ought to be able to meet our standards."_

Shinso nodded slowly. He was a little stiff. This was going faster than he would have expected.

But then, he was ready to see how well he would do with the real thing.

They quickly filled him in.

* * *

"Gyahaha! Take this, you losers!"

A burst of force erupted from the palm of a short, fat man with a scraggly, unshaven neckbeard. He cackled and cavorted, watching the storefront window shatter in response to the shockwave he fired.

"Yooo, that's awesome, bro!" jeered a scrawny, bony man. He sniggered into the palm of his hand, a few sharp, foot-or-more-long spines protruding from his arms and shoulders. "You've got such a good quirk. You coulda been an awesome hero if they didn't kick you out!"

"It's their loss!" said the short, fat man. "My 'Pulse' quirk is too good to waste on goody-two-shoes crap. Gyahaha! It's their fault! Saying I was disqualified just because I went and held up a convenience store… Those bastards shoulda just given me the hero discount. So what if I wasn't certified, yet? It's their loss!"

He watched as one of their fellow gang members smashed back out of the store, blowing the door off its hinges by walking into it with a huge, muscular frame. His body was dark with a metallic sheen, hardened like iron, and he laughed dully as the bullets from the shopkeeper's rifle rebounded uselessly of his skin. He had a square face and a heavy brow, and he grinned with a misshapen mouth.

"Hurr… I gots da loot, boss," he said, swinging a large sack full of jewelry. It jangled noisily, telling of its contents. "What now?"

"Yeah!" said the bony man with the protruding spines. "What now, bro? It's so easy knocking over these stores. Haha! Why don't any of these losers bother using their quirks! Is it because they suck? Or is it just because they don't have any balls?"

"They can't match up to _me!_ " said the fat man proudly, jabbing a thumb into his chest. Nostrils flared in an upturned, piglike nose. "I've got a quirk that's in like the top, top tier, yeah? I'd blow 'em all away if they came to close to me!"

And he looked down the street, saying this, looking at the havoc he and his gang had wreaked so far on their spree. Cars were smashed or burning, and streetlamps had been bent or torn out of the ground. More than one storefront had been smashed up or torn open by his and his buddies' destructive, acquisitive rampage.

Another man, the fourth member of their crew, came swaggering up from across the street. He was even larger and burlier than the man made of iron, standing at an almost impossible height and breadth. His body was covered in thick hair, or fur, and he had the long, low head of a bull with hard, curving horns. He lowed and snorted, smashing a fist into a fire hydrant and denting it with his knuckles. A faint spray of water began hissing out of the gaps and cracks caused by the impact and displacement.

"Nobody wants to join in on the looting," said the bull-headed man sullenly. He snorted, nostrils fiery, eyes dark. "Pfah! Buncha cowards."

"What can ya say, Cowper? They don't have the balls!" said the spiny fellow. "Ain't got no balls! Hah! Still believe in crap like 'law and order'. A lotta bull, ain't it?"

"Who are you calling _bull_ , Spike?"

"I ain't calling nothing bull!"

Spike and Cowper glared at each other, looking ready to fight.

"Hey! Knock it off, you idiots! Smith!" the fat, short ringleader turned on the dull, iron lug. "Keep those two from knocking each other out, will ya? What kind of villain team dissolves into infighting into the middle of the street? Useless idiots! If it weren't for me, y'all would've been tossed in chains ages ago!"

"Okay, boss," said Smith. He curled up a large iron fist and smashed into the side of Cowper's jaw, causing the minotaur to reel and stagger back. Then he caught one of Spikes menacing spines on his chest, turning it aside without a scratch. "Stop fighting. Boss says you'll get put in chains if you don't."

"That ain't what he said," Spike snapped. But he stepped back and gingerly rubbed his spines. One of them was bent. "Jeez… watch where your standing. These babies are delicate."

"Then you shouldn't be pointing them around at the drop of a hat," said Cowper snidely. He rubbed his jaw, though, and gave Smith a sullen look. "You don't have to hit so hard, you know…"

"Ugh. Why can't I have any more competent underlings?" said the leader. "The world's gonna know name of _'Blaster Bill'_ as one of the most infamous villains ever, one of these days. My quirk is super strong! I'd be so much closer to my goal if you guys didn't keep screwing everything up!"

"We're doing fine, boss," said Spike. "You don't need to rush things. It'll work out alright, as long as we just keep at it."

"Oh, _sure_ ," Bill muttered. "Great advice. Why don't you just hang up a motivational poster? Sheesh!"

The four amateur villains were stopped in their bickering by the sound of a cough.

"…gee, Cap. Are you sure we needed to bring in this much just to deal with these losers? They're barely holding together, from the looks of it."

Spike, Cowper, Smith, and Blaster Bill looked up.

Mindvolt was crouching atop a telephone pole, looking down at the comical quartet with sparks fizzing in his afro, leaping between his shoulder pylons.

"It's good to match the enemy's numbers as closely as possible, even when they're incompetent. A show of force is important for strengthening the community's belief in justice."

Captain Silicon leaned against the outer wall of the jewelry store the gang had just knocked over. He looked bored, as though he had been waiting there for a while.

"And they might look like fools, but one of them is actually dangerous," came the thin, rasping voice of the veteran hero, Silver Spoon.

A diminutive, elderly man with a large, bald, liver-spotted head and a prominent, hooked nose looked down at the quartet, floating in the air. The atmosphere around seemed to lens and crackle with a powerful presence, a psychic glow wreathing his small, squat frame. His outfit was primarily dark gold with secondary of blue and white. He clutched a spoon the size of a walking stick, brandishing it like a sage's staff.

Beady eyes glinted under a wrinkled brow.

The ne'er-do-wells froze, recognizing this man. Even Blaster Bill appeared discombobulated by his appearance.

"Crap!" said the portly ringleader. "The heroes have come already? Dang it! I told you idiots…!"

"We can just beat them up," said Spike. "What's the big deal? Your quirk is real strong, right, bro? And we ain't weak either."

"Yeah." Cowper stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. "They don't look that strong."

"Idiots!" said Bill hysterically. His voice cracked a little in his panic. "Don't you get it? These aren't some third-rate nobodies, like you! Those are serious pro heroes!"

"Still just a sidekick, actually," said Mindvolt, raising a hand and giving them a lopsided grin. "But I'm flattered. Y'all have heard stuff that good about me? Maybe I should consider striking out on my own, soon…"

He puffed up his chest a little.

"Like heck you will!" said Spike. He jumped up, his spines bristling. "You won't get a chance at that! _Quill Snipe!_ "

One of the larger spines protruding from Spike's shoulders suddenly shot out, zipping through the air. A little blood spurted and dripped from the broken skin behind it. But the spine flew like an arrow, fast and straight, hurtling toward Mindvolt in under a second. It crossed the distance very quickly, so quickly that there should have been no time for the man to react.

At least, as far as Spike would have estimated.

But Mindvolt smiled. There was a flash of light, a deafening crackle of electricity.

" _Flash of Inspiration._ "

The spine dissolved into ash, struck by a withering burst of electricity, so much flowing through it that it disintegrated an inch from Mindvolt's chest. Its mass and momentum still struck him full-on, but without the keen, resolute point, it had no penetrating power, and without that, it was nothing to worry about.

He shrugged off the impact with an exaggerated indifference.

"That the best you got?" Mindvolt chuckled. His afro was a little frizzier, and a few more sparks were flying around it, each hair like a conducting wire that drew on his brain's superhuman electrical potential. "Gee. Even the newbie is probably able to deal with you."

"…Is that supposed to be my cue, then?" Shinso dropped down from the roof, landing a short distance from Captain Silicon. He was a little further back from the villains than the others were. He boredly messed with his hair, looking at the gang with heavy, tired eyes. "Fine. Alright. Which of you losers is the strongest, then?"

He said this to the villains in an insolent tone, eyeing them lazily, as if unimpressed.

Cowper opened his mouth at the same time Spike did, but Smith beat them both.

"Boss is," said the wrought iron dullard, pointing to Bill, the smallest and least intimidating looking one of them. "He's got a super-powerful quirk."

Shinso's eyes lit up.

"I see. Could you apprehend him for us, then? If you would be so kind."

"Eh?" said Blaster Bill, bristling. "The hell kind of demand is that? You aren't in a position to—"

But then he was pushed aside by Cowper, who dove in to force him out of the way of Smith's arms, which swung in suddenly. The minotaur was caught in the iron man's grasp, and he snorted and heaved his muscular bulk against his teammate, whose usually dull eyes were now completely glazed over.

"What do you think you're doing, fool?!" Cowper bellowed. "Our boss is the boss, not some damn hero! Rrrah! What use is a halfwit like you?"

He pushed against Smith, seizing him fast when it felt like the iron man was about to let go. He rammed his head into Smith's face, knocking the man's head back. He winced, feeling the hardness of the man's metallic visage, but he tightened his grip. Smith fought back, and he started battering Cowper with his huge hands, each knuckle like a separate hammer pounding the minotaur's hairy, beefy sides.

"What the hell?" said Spike, bewildered. "Have you two lost it?"

"You pushed me!" said Bill. "How _dare_ you. What gave you the idea you could do that to me?"

The short, fat, neckbearded man glared and stomped a foot on the sidewalk. The street shook and heaved, and the pavement cracked and crunched around him, perceptibly cratering beneath his foot.

Everyone else present gave the diminutive man wary looks. His two still-sensible henchmen were visibly frightened. Even Captain Silicon and Mindvolt looked more serious—and the latter had to jump down from the telephone pole on which he'd been mounted, springing to the ground and warily edging away from it.

"Something has come over Smith!" Cowper said. "Can't you tell? Either he's gone crazy, or…"

The iron man groaned and dug his fingers into the minotaur's sides. He seized onto his opponent with a vise grip, and his digits sank partway through Cowper's flesh, drawing forth superficial rivulets of blood.

Blaster Bill narrowed his eyes.

"Mind control?" he guessed in his nasally voice. "Then can one of these guys…?" He frowned and looked at Shinso, connecting the dots. His eyes flashed, and he spread his hands wide open. " _You._ "

"Why do you think I had anything to do with it?" Shinso asked. He hoped to get an answer—but the villain was too furious to respond.

Instead, Bill thrust his palms together.

For a moment, there was a sound like a chorus of jackhammers, going deeper and deeper, louder and louder. Bill's body vibrated, his fat rippling.

Then the street exploded.

A massive cloud rose over the city, storefronts disintegrating. A huge crater ripped open the sidewalk. Rubble flew every which way.

In the midst of the ruins, standing int the base of the crater, was the villain, Blaster Bill, short and fat and seething. His temples were throbbing, and beady eyes glinted with anger. A smear of blood could be seen in the side of the crater, where Spike had been standing before the detonation. Cowper and Smith lay entangled a few feet from this. The minotaur was visibly badly injured, and even the iron man spit up a bit of blood—though he appeared to have gone back to normal, looking confused and disoriented.

Shinso, Captain Silicon, and Mindvolt were in the air, having been quickly levitated away from ground zero. Silver Spoon had his scoop-ended scepter pointed ahead of him. The tip of the spoon had been bent back, but a shimmering forcefield was covering the four heroes, having taken the brunt of the immense blast.

Mindvolt was blinking.

"…Okay. I get why you had us all come here. But, damn. So much for our records… That's gotta be a lot of casualties."

"They were already teleported to safety," said Captain Silicon. "We had calculated the potential blast radius ahead of time. We knew this guy was dangerous. Still… this will be a lot of damage to repair."

"No kidding," Shinso breathed.

He blinked, feeling faint as he looked down at the three surviving villains, at the vast ruin and wreckage.

He was shaking.

So, this was the real thing, huh…?

 _We've scouted out and accounted for all civilians in the blast radius._ Mind Maiden's thoughts streamed through their heads. _Quartz Quantum and Third-Eye Blind were able to get everybody, like you said. It seems there were a few pets lost in the chaos… but those can't compare with precious human lives. Be more careful, though! You were all given this person's profile. You already know how dangerous he is._

 _Right._ This was Captain Silicon. _Though maybe a couple of us didn't appreciate the full possible extent of his quirk. It's a potentially formidable ability. His school records showed no indication that he had cultivated it to this extent, however. His evaluations all described him as undisciplined and uncreative. He coasted on the strength of his quirk until that was no longer sufficient, then started acting out when that was no longer sufficient, and his grades started dropping. Eventually, he was expelled for delinquency and criminal conduct._

 _It doesn't matter when he developed it to this ridiculous extent._ Silver Spoon's thoughts resonated in their minds. _I've seen plenty of weaklings suddenly figure out how to make effective use of their quirks and become massive problems. Sometimes all it takes is a flash of inspiration. And with his 'Pulse' quirk, he doesn't even need to be particularly creative._

This communication happened much more quickly than it would have if spoken. Mind Maiden's Telepathy let their thoughts flit between them without need for verbalization.

Shinso ran a hand through his hair. He saw the short, fat, comical figure of ringleader of this little gang. William "Blaster Bill" Waverly…

He didn't look like a strong guy at all. Even the others hadn't expected him to be THIS much.

 _If you didn't expect he would be dangerous, why we come with a team like this?_ Shinso wondered into the Telepathy. _I mean, apart from myself… and I don't know much about Mindvolt… but Silver Spoon is a hero on par with the very best, for sheer power. And Captain Silicon is supposed to be a world class strategist._

"His old man was a bigshot. Wallace Waverly. _Shockwave_ ," said Mindvolt. "He was one of the top heroes in the country, before he kicked the bucket. And Cap is always pretty cautious. Never likes to play a hand that might be too weak."

They were low enough in the air that their opponent could hear these words.

"To hell with my dad!" snapped Blaster Bill. "Who was he? A worthless do-gooder. Always running off to fight villains. The only good thing I ever got from him was this quirk!"

He thrust a palm forward, and a pulse of air slammed into Silver's psychokinetic shield.

The impact was audible, and they could almost feel it jar them.

Silver Spoon sighed and shook his head. The tip of his spoon straightened out, then twisted into a corkscrew shape.

Shinso could almost see the psychic energy coiling through the air.

The ground warped at Blaster Bill's feet, nearly liquefying as the elderly hero's psychokinesis took hold. Tendrils of smash concrete rose up around the squat form of the villain, rising with a suddenness that caused the man to squawk without a trace of dignity. Silver's eyes were glowing, and his oar-sized spoon was trembling.

The rubble of buildings all around the blast radius disintegrated, molecular bonds severed as they were seized and shaped by a surging psychic power. The terrain warped, and the air rippled, light distorted as Silver Spoon manipulated every object that had been smashed by the explosion. Every loose bit of debris was drawn inward, as if by a gravitational pull.

 _That's a bit much, Silver._ Mindvolt critique through the telepathic link. _You gonna trap him in all that? But unless you do something about his quirk, he can just shake that prison back into pieces. Imagine a frag grenade the size of a city block. That would be bad._

 _He needed a feedback loop to exert that much destructive power._ Captain Silicon responded on Silver Spoon's behalf _. Like his father, he's really only able to exert his quirk's power through his palms and the soles of his feet. He had to lock his hands together and resonate the two 'Pulses' to amplify their strength. And that likely caused significant strain to his body. At any rate, if his arms are pinned at his sides, he won't be able to do that._

Silver Spoon was too focused on his technique, sending tendrils and pillars shooting at and snaking around Blaster Bill, forcing the portly fellow to dive and roll and spring aside—he made the man concentrate on the local, small scale onslaught while the finishing blow was readied on the outskirts, preparing to overwhelm the villain with a vast, swiftly closing, spherical prison.

But Shinso was watching, and he noticed Smith and Cowper standing back up. The minotaur was limping slightly, and the iron man was wincing, but they were much less hurt by the blast than their fourth comrade, Spike.

He frowned. Something was off. Even if this Bill was just starting out his villain career, why would be that someone capable of that sort of damage would run around with just a few weaklings? Compared to Bill's destructive power, Spike and Cowper and Smith's quirks all seemed wildly underwhelming. Even if the guy was only able to make use of amateurs who weren't otherwise affiliated, surely there had to be a greater talent pool than this to pick from.

He looked at Captain Silicon and posed this query to him.

 _Why were his henchmen this weak?_

Captain Silicon paused to sort his thoughts, to consider this question and compose a response.

Silver Spoon spoke.

" _Quicksilver Capture_."

The dark mass of undifferentiated matter, a sea of liquefied steel, glass, plastic, wood, concrete, swelled in a ring around the crater, and it drew in quickly. With a roar like an ocean spilling into a valley, Silver Spoon's finishing move swept in, vast and inexorable. Psychically manipulated matter was deftly shaped and bonded back together, spread out and compressed as it drew in faster, faster, faster, ready to encase the evil doers in a custom-made prison. It was a move that exhibited both razor fine control and overwhelming raw power. That was what it took for a man his age to stay relevant as a hero.

Of course, he was only able to use _this_ much power by tapping into Captain Silicon's Processor through Mind Maiden's Telepathy, borrowing the incredible computing power of his protégé's brain so he could amplify his Psychokinesis beyond its ordinary limits. This was a level of overkill reserved only for the most troublesome villains or the most dreadful disasters. It was a combination that was said to almost equal All Might's power.

Shinso could believe this. It took a combination of three pro heroes with perfect teamwork and ideal quirk compatibility to even approach the level of the legendary Strongest Hero.

But he heard something, before the prison could completely close.

There was a deafening roar, a huge and unearthly bellowing.

The prison was smashed by a huge monster, a behemoth with brazen horns and a flaming breath, and vast wings that set the air to whirl in a hurricane.

"ASSYRIA MINOS!" roared Cowper, transformed into a winged, chimerical bull, crashing out of the side of the prison before it could finish solidifying. He wasn't as big as somebody with a pure giantizing quirk—only a bit bigger than a bull elephant. But it was an impressive difference, and it gave them a moment's pause.

Then…

" _COLLOSUS!_ "

Far larger than Cowper, even more dreadful a sight, towered Smith, a solid iron fist the size of a city bus smashing through the other side of the prison.

… _well, that answers that question._

Shinso sighed and ran a hand through his hair, seeing the massive, winged, fire breathing bull wheel in the air and incinerate rubble tossed at it by Silver Spoon's psychic powers, and the Godzilla-sized iron giant punch and stomp and smash everything in his way.

"Does the other guy have a trick quirk, too?" he wondered exasperatedly. "This is a little much for the first day…"

"Nah," said Mindvolt. "Pretty sure the spiny guy is actually dead.

Cowper wheeled around in the air, breathing fire and leveling his horns. He flew toward them in his bestial form, an Assyrian monstrosity with flaring nostrils and flashing eyes. At the same time, Smith with windmilling his gargantuan arms, flinging the last levitating bits of the Quicksilver Capture out of the air, seeing the rubble harden and crumble.

Silver Spoon huffed.

"I'm not young enough for this nonsense. Can't an old man be allowed to spend his autumn years in peace?"

"Of course not," said Captain Silicon. "But you can't maintain that level of telekinetic manipulation any longer, even with our 'Signal Boost.' You can set us down."

"That would be nice. A man my age shouldn't be having to carry you whelps everywhere…"

He set them down on the ground, the four of them ducking down from the air just as Cowper flew through where they'd been levitating, narrowly missing getting rammed, gored, or incinerated. Captain Silicon touched the shattered concrete first, his suit's sensor suite lighting up and audibly whirring. Mindvolt was next, and the various pylons protruding from his outfit began to spark and crackle with electricity. Shinso was last, and he started looking around the wreckage, wondering what he could do.

 _Jeez…_ Shinso thought to himself. He watched the elephantine bull swoop around, veering back toward them—Mindvolt turned and started amping up his electricity, before sending bolts flying through the air in jagged forks and lances, flashing and flickering as swift as thought toward Cowper, who dodged most of them by mere inches and muscled through the few that did hit. He saw the titanic man of iron pick up a building and through it halfway across the city—the projectile was stopped in midair before it could do any damage, caught by Silver Spoon's psychic powers, and flung back at Smith, but it didn't do any damage. _This is crazy. Is it always this bad for American heroes, or did just start out on a bad day?_

But he looked around the field, wondering where the ringleader had gone. The ruins of the psychically assembled prison lay strewn over the battlefield, and there was a strange, suspicious quiet. He didn't see Blaster Bill anywhere.

He looked at Captain Silicon, and he could tell that the man had come to the same conclusion.

This was a diversion.

For what purpose, though? Was Bill trying to make a getaway, or—?

Shinso heard a sound like an explosion behind him, and he spun around to see the ground erupt behind him as if a mine had been set up, Blaster Bill springing out like a whack-a-mole. The man's hands were upraised, and Shinso could see the air wavering and rippling with pulsations of force. A deceptive amount of power was being shot straight up, this guy having blown his way straight out of the ground.

"Damn!" said Blaster Bill, looking at them standing in front of him. "I thought I was right under you bastards. No matter! Gyahaha! I can still beat ya—"

Captain Silicon spun around, swinging up his leg. Shinso drew from the holster on his hip, brandishing a pellet gun. At the same moment that Captain Silicon swept a roundhouse kick for Blaster Bill's head, Shinso fired his pellet gun straight for the center of mass.

Shinso wasn't physically very strong. Not by hero standards. Certainly, he had done what he could to meet the fitness requirements, and he was hardly _weak_ , but he wasn't someone who could go toe to toe with bruisers or keep up with speedsters. His quirk was potentially very powerful, and with that alone he could go pretty far—at least until his ability became more widely known. Then he would need ways to provoke villains into answering his questions.

This pellet gun had a twofold purpose, in that regard. Shooting rubber bullets, it could stun lower level foes, but it could also aggravate stronger opponents into responding. Hopefully. Of course, once he'd decided on coming to America to start his hero career, he'd considered registering for a real firearm. He had ultimately decided against it, though—it wasn't a formal rule, but heroes were generally expected to avoid the use of lethal force. And unless he opted for something really high-tech and powerful or trained himself to become a world class marksman, a gun would in most circumstances be either too deadly or too ineffective.

It was a purely practical consideration. Against monsters like Smith and Cowper, who were going on a rampage, drawing Silver Spoon and Mindvolt out to fight them, it would be useless. Against someone like Blaster Bill, who had destructive power but an ostensibly normal human body, it would be very difficult to use in a way that would be effective without also being potentially lethal. Admittedly, given the kind of destruction this guy had wreaked, Shinso didn't imagine anyone who be too torn up if he kicked the bucket…

But he had what he had, and there was no point considering the alternatives just then. So he fired his pellet gun, while Captain Silicon kicked Blaster Bill in the head.

But the rubber bullet sprang away, as if it had hit a steel wall, and Captain Silicon's leg was thrown back.

Blaster Bill landed, unfazed. Captain Silicon put his foot down, catching his balance.

Shinso wondered what had just happened.

"You miscalculated, jackass," said Blaster Bill. He shifted his form, looking up at his two opponents. "Gyeheheh… You were cocky! You thought my quirk had the same limitations as my old man's. He could only emit his 'vibro-waves' from his hands and feet. I'm not half as weak as that!"

He jabbed an elbow to one side, and a blast of force, shockwaves throwing a wall of air, slammed into one of the few halfway-standing walls still remaining.

Captain Silicon nodded.

"Yes. I guessed as much, once I felt what happened to my kick. You used your Pulse to nullify the impact, then returned the force twice over. Shockwave used to do the same."

"Smartass."

Blaster Bill popped his knuckles.

"And who are you, kid?" he said to Shinso. "You look like you're fresh out of the Academy. You aren't cut out for a fight of this level?"

He stamped a foot on the ground, advancing one step forward. The street rocked and shook all around them.

Shinso nearly lost his balance, but he just barely managed to stay on his feet.

He swallowed.

He thought he saw the window of opportunity open.

"I'm Shinzo," he said. "You can translate that as _'Heart'_ , if you want. But I think you sound a little full of yourself. I'm a graduate of Japan's prestigious UA Academy, while you're a dropout. And where from, even? If you couldn't even cut it in some inferior hero program, what makes you think you can stand on the same level as a guy who graduated from that world class institution, what makes you think you can look down on me?"

He finished, and he waited with bated breath. It was a less elegant gambit than he usually employed, but maybe it would work despite that.

This was a deliberate barb. He could tell that this guy's weakness was his pride.

All he had to do was force him to take the bait. All he had to do was get in past his guard.

Like a vampire, he needed his target to 'invite him in'.

"Why?!" said Blaster Bill furiously, his temples throbbing. "I was only kicked out because of their bullshit rules! My quirk is all I need! It's crazy strong! With this quirk alone, I can take down all you smug, supercilious do-gooders!"

He answered hotly, and he leveled his hands as if meaning to blast them.

His defenses peeled away. A yawning chasm opened up in his mind's armor.

Blaster Bill's eyes glazed over.

Shinso smiled.

 _Turn yourself in._

That was the irresistible command he gave to the man.

Blaster Bill buckled at the knees, surrendering without further resistance.

"Should I have him help subdue the other two? That would be a little risky, but…"

"No," said Captain Silicon. "Silver Spoon and Mindvolt should have them taken care of right about—"

 _Now,_ Mind Maiden's voice rang in their heads, finishing the sentence for him.

Shinso heard a boom of thunder and the bellowing of an ox.

He turned to see Cowper half encased in concrete and bound about with steel bars that had been wrenched around him like ropes, and he saw a massive flash and felt a tingling against his skin as Smith was fried with an ungodly amount of electricity.

" _BRAINSTORM!_ "

The two villains had been subdued with impressively little trouble, once Silver Spoon and Mindvolt had switched targets.

Shinso was impressed.

This was the level of pro heroes… it never ceased to amaze him.

But now he was going to be one, too.

He smiled.

This seemed like a promising start to his career.

* * *

A/N: Originally meant it to just be a short piece that I could knock out in one or two sittings, but then it dragged out to this faintly ridiculous length. It was exhausting to write, but also fun, if that makes sense.

Half the fun of this was just throwing character concepts at a wall and seeing what stuck. A couple of these were characters I'd already conceptualized in the context of the MHA universe, and this fic gave me a good excuse to toy around with them. Most of the rest were made up on the spot.

Though of course, this was commissioned to be about Shinso, so it's only natural he would be the one to save the day, more or less…

Also, this is the first thing I've posted on FFN in forever. Mostly because I don't have the time or money to justify doing non-commission work, these days. And most of the stuff I do on commission is far too raunchy for this site.

In other news, published my second novel yesterday, so that's fun.

 **Updated:** 7-24-18

 **TTFN and R &R!**

– — ❤


End file.
